Preparation and characterization of pH‐responsive and thermoresponsive hybrid microgel particles with gold nanorods

We report on pH‐responsive and thermoresponsive hybrid materials based on the assembly of gold nanorods, Au NRs, into multiresponsive, crosslinked copolymer microgel particles. These microgel particles were prepared by the surfactant‐free emulsion polymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide and acrylic acid using N, N′‐methylene bis‐acrylamide as a crosslinker, which produces particles measuring approximately 160 nm that are interconnected to one other. Cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide‐stabilized Au NRs were also prepared independently using a seed‐mediated growth method and then loaded into swollen, deprotonated, acrylic acid‐containing microgel particles using the electrostatic interactions between the oppositely charged particles. Transmission electron micrographs of the as‐prepared hybrid Au NR–microgel particles confirmed that the Au NRs were attached to the surface of the microgel particles. The size‐dependent temperature‐responsive characteristics of the hybrid microgel particles were studied by dynamic light scattering, and it was found that as the temperature increased across the phase transition temperature, the particle size decreased to 56% of the original volume. The thermoresponsive and pH‐responsive optical properties of the hybrid microgel particles were also systematically investigated. The thermo‐ and pH‐induced shrinkage of the microgel led to an increase in the UV–vis absorption intensity and caused a significant blue shift in the longitudinal surface plasmon bands of the Au NRs. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Exp-function Method for Generalized Traveling Solutions of Master Partial Differential Equation

In this paper, we use the Exp-function method to construct the generalized travelling solutions of the master partial differential equation. This equation plays a very important role in mathematical physics and engineering sciences. The suggested algorithm is quite efficient and is practically well suited for use in these problems. The results show the reliability and efficiency of the proposed method.     

A new flavanone glycoside from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clausena pentaphylla</Emphasis>

From the ethyl acetate extract of the roots of Clausena pentaphylla, a flavanone glycoside, 5,7-dihydroxy3',4'-dimethoxyflavanone 6-C-[α-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)]-β-glucopyranoside (1), was isolated. The isolated compound was characterized by UV, IR, and NMR (¹H, ¹³C) studies.     

Synthesis of double mesoporous core-shell silica spheres with tunable core porosity and their drug release and cancer cell apoptosis properties

In this work, we demonstrate a simple two-pot approach to double mesoporous core–shell silica spheres (DMCSSs) with uniform size of 245–790 nm, shell thickness of 41–80 nm and surface area and total pore volume of 141–618 m² g^?1 and 0.14–0.585 cc g^?1, respectively. First, solid silica spherical particles were synthesized by the Stöber method and used as a core. Second, a mesoporous shell could be formed around the silica cores by using an anionic surfactant and a co-structure directing agent. It was found that mesopores can be anchored within dense silica cores during mesoporous silica shell formation, synchronously the base group with surfactant assistant can etch the dense silica cores to re-organize new mesostructure, so that double mesoporous core–shell silica sphere (DMCSS) structure can be obtained by a single surfactant-templating step. The spherical size and porosity of the silica cores of DMCSS together with shell thickness can be tuned by controlling Stöber parameters, including the concentrations of ammonia, solvent and tetraethoxysilane and the reaction time. DMCSS were loaded with ketoprofen and thymoquinone, which are an anti-inflammatory and a potential novel anti-cancer drug, respectively. Both drugs showed controlled release behavior from the pores of DMCSS. Drug uptakes within DMCSS were ～27 and 81 wt.% for ketoprofen and thymoquinone, respectively. Furthermore, DMCSS loaded with thymoquinone was more effective in inducing cancer cell apoptosis than uncontained thymoquinone, because of the slow release of the drug from the mesoporous structure.     

Projection iterative method for solving general variational inequalities

In this paper, we suggest and analyze a new projection iterative method for solving general variational inequalities by using a new step size. We also prove the global convergence of the proposed method under some suitable conditions. Some preliminary numerical experiments are included to illustrate the advantage and efficiency of the proposed method.     

Variable sampling inspection for resubmitted lots based on process capability index Cpk for normally distributed items

In this article, a variables sampling inspection plan for resubmitted lot based on the process capability index C_pk is developed for normally distributed items with unknown mean and variance. The three plan parameters, sample size n, critical acceptance value k_a and the number of resubmissions m, are determined simultaneously by minimizing average sample number (ASN) with two conditions specified by the producer and the consumer. The advantages of the proposed resubmitted sampling plan over the variables single sampling plan are also discussed. Tables of plan parameters for selected values of acceptable quality level (AQL), limiting quality level (LQL), producer’s α-risk and consumer’s β-risk are provided and discussed with the help of an application example.     

Simplicial complexes with rigid depth

We extend a result of Minh and Trung (Adv. Math. 226:1285–1306, 2011) to get criteria for depth ${I = \rm {depth}\sqrt{I}}$ , where I is an unmixed monomial ideal of the polynomial ring S?=?K[x ₁, . . . , x _n ]. As an application we characterize all the pure simplicial complexes Δ which have rigid depth, that is, which satisfy the condition that for every unmixed monomial ideal ${I\subset S}$ with ${\sqrt{I}=I_\Delta}$ one has depth(I)?=?depth(I _Δ).     

Computer generated hologram null compensator for optical metrology of a freeform surface

A computer-generated hologram (CGH) null compensator has been designed for optical metrology of a freeform surface (FFS) with positive base radius. The CGH is being employed in the freeform testing for the first time. The basic concept of the optical metrology and the testing procedure are explained explicitly. The design results of the CGH null compensator are presented in this article. Moreover, the design method and its results are discussed in detail.